The First Book of the Chronicles
1 Chronicles 25
Chapter XXV · Vol. II, pp. 838–839
1 The number and offices of the singers. 8 Their division by lot into four and twenty orders.
1 Moreover David, and the captainsa of the host,1 separated to the service of the sons of bAsaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun,2 whoc should prophesy3 with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen, according to their service was:
A.M. 2988. B.C. 1016.
a ch.23.2; 24.6; 12.28. 2 Ch.23.1,9.
1 What in modern language would be called 'leaders of the choir.' The word captain, though generally employed as a military title, is still in use in the mere sense of a leader, and is so applied, for example, to the studious youth who stands first in a school-class.—C.
b ch.6.33,39,44; 15.17; 16.5,41,42.
2 Either the same called Ethan, or his successor, Ethan being dead.—C.
c ch.23.5; 16.4,37; 6.33-39,44; ver.2. 1 Co.14.24.
3 To prophesy here means no more than to praise God by singing these prophetical psalms in which the Spirit had revealed the future humiliation and exaltation of Christ, Lu.24.44. 1 Sa.5.10.—C.
2 Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and dAsarelah, the sons of Asaph, under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied eaccording to the order of the king.
d Otherwise called Jesharelah, ver.14.
e Heb. by the hands of the king, ver.6.
3 Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and fZeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, gand Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD.4
f Or, Izri, ver.11.
g With Shimei, mentioned ver.17.
4 Each master-singer had in his chorus persons who are called his sons and his brethren, 'because,' says Patrick, 'they observed them as sons, and concurred with them as brethren.' Jeduthun is said to have had six of these sons, but only five names are given. But Codex 172 of Kennicott, the Cod. Alex. of the Sept. and Arab. versions introduce the name of Shimei after that of Jeshaiah, and this is confirmed by ver. 17, where Shimei is mentioned as having obtained the tenth course by lot.—I.
4 Of Heman: the sons of Heman; Bukkiah, Mattaniah, hUzziel, iShebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth:
h Or, Azareel, ver.18.
i Or, Shubael, ver.20.
5 All these were the sons of Heman the kking's seer in the lwords of God, to lift up the 5horn. And mGod gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
k ch.21.9. 1 Sa.9.9.
l Or, matters, 1 Pe.4.11.
5 The word 'horn' does not seem here to signify the cornet or horn trumpet, but the praise of God for his mighty power, which the horn represented, for which use of the word horn see 1 Sa.2.1. 2 Sa.22.3. Ps.75.4; 89.17,24; 112.9; 132.17. Eze. 29.21. C.—I think the expression 'to lift up the horn' must here mean to blow the horn loudly. Horns or trumpets were used on great festivals and at many solemn acts of worship.—P.
6 All these were under the hands of their father for nsong in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, oaccording to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.
n ch.23.5; 6.31; 15.16-22; 16.5,41,42. Ps.150.1-5; 68.25. Ep.5.19. Col.3.16.
o Heb. by the hands of the king, ver.2.
7 So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.6
6 See note ver. 31.
8 And they cast lots, pward against ward, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.7
p ch.24.5,31. Ac.10.34,35. Ga.3.28. Col.3.11. It is probable in allusion to the twenty-four orders of priests, of assistant Levites, and of the sacred musicians in the temple-service, that the members of the Christian church are represented as four and twenty elders, Re.4.4,10; 5.8; 11.16.
7 Though some were teachers, others scholars, yet no regard was given to these distinctions—the choice was altogether remitted to God.—C.
9 Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah, who with his brethren and sons were twelve:
10 The third to Zaccur, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
11 The fourth to Izri, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
12 The fifth to Nethaniah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
13 The sixth to Bukkiah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
15 The eighth to Jeshaiah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
16 The ninth to Mattaniah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
17 The tenth to Shimei, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
18 The eleventh to rAzareel,8 he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
A.M. 2988. B.C. 1016.
r Uzziel, ver. 4.
8 Most probably the same called Uzziel, ver. 4, this being a second name, according to a custom common to the Israelites and other nations.—C.
21 The fourteenth to Mattithiah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
22 The fifteenth to Jerimoth, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
23 The sixteenth to Hananiah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
24 The seventeenth to Joshbekashah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
25 The eighteenth to Hanani, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
26 The nineteenth to Mallothi, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
27 The twentieth to Eliathah, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
28 The one and twentieth to Hothir, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
29 The two and twentieth to Giddalti, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
30 The three and twentieth to Mahazioth, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve:
31 The ufour and twentieth9 to Romamtiezer, he, his sons and his brethren were twelve.1
u Nu.7.88. ch.24.18. Re.4.4,10; 5.8; 11.16.
9 There were just as many companies of musicians as there were of priests, ch. 24. 18; and of the Levites attending on the priests, and helping them, ch. 24. 31, twice as many as the months in the year. Thus all things were disposed for preserving order, and avoiding all disputes about precedent, 1 Co.14.40.
1 It is said in ver. 1 that they were separated to this service by David and 'the captains of the host.' But it should be 'the chiefs of the sacred orders;' for it does not mean the military chiefs, but the heads of the priests and Levites, who in Nu. 4. 3 are called by the same name. To them naturally belonged the appointment of singers, and not to the generals of the army.—At chap. 23. 5 the number of musicians is given as 4000, whereas at ver. 7 of this chapter the number of those 'instructed in the songs of the Lord' is stated at only 288. Perhaps the 4000 (in which the 288 were doubtless included) were divided in such a manner that each of the larger courses included one of these minor courses, which, as consisting of the most perfect masters, took the lead in the service.—I.
Notes
[Ver. 1. 'The captains of the host' appear to have been the same as the 'princes of Israel,' mentioned in ch. 23. 2, and the 'princes' mentioned in ch. 24. 6, who were the privy-councillors of the sovereign, and who with the sovereign regulated, as has been seen, the course of public worship. P.]
Reflections.—Great cheerfulness ought to be exercised in the worship and service of God; and great attention should be paid to the praising of God, as a leading business of his saints. And it is comely when those in power concur in promoting religion; the latter in perfecting what others before had begun. Of how little account are human distinctions before God! Before him master and scholar, elder and younger, stand on an equal level. And when we find the lot so much used in deciding in the great things of God as an immediate appeal to himself, how sinful and profane it must be to use it in trifles, or in what merely relates to diversion! As I regard Jehovah's honour, let me never dare to recreate myself with cards or dice, or cast lots in matters of small value.